


Carlos never had much luck

by Saltylocks



Series: Carlos the scientist [9]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Angst with a Happy Ending, Children, Coming Out, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-08
Updated: 2014-04-08
Packaged: 2018-01-18 15:17:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1433197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saltylocks/pseuds/Saltylocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos and Cecil discuss children. Also they call Carlos parents. And tell them about their relationship. It is all well and good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carlos never had much luck

**Author's Note:**

> Authors note:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I just wanna say, before you read this, I don't mean to offend anyone who had a bad experience with either orphanages/fostercare or coming out to their parents. I know almost nothing about the fostercare system in the US apart from what I seen on Bones and similar tv-shows. And I talked to one gay friend and she described coming out to her parents was similar to what I describe with Carlos, that her parents were supportive and had figured it out long before she had. This does not mean I know much about this topic, and that's why I don't go into more detail. I am very supportive of love in all forms and the freedom to find whatever makes you happy as long as it doesn't harm other people (unless they want to be harmed in which case I believe this to be okay as well). This should in fact be more than a right, more like a law.
> 
> Sorry for ranting, and enjoy.
> 
> Edit: thanks to letssendacountrysomecupcakes for pointing out my typo's. They are all changed now.

Carlos never claimed to be a man of words. 

That was one of the reasons he liked Cecil so much, his way to write and speak thoughts much bigger than either of them, complex combinations that made the eyes tear and the heart swell.

What he did have was a body. He loved dancing, moving and singing along to his favorite songs. Meanwhile Cecil was a pair of left feet, with a decent singing voice but no rhythm whatsoever. Maybe his ears heard something different, Carlos thought as he watched Cecil's narrow butt move in weird spirals whenever Carlos put on music. 

It was a good thing, he was happy to see them complete each other as a couple. It made him feel like they were almost made for the other, and then worry he was getting soft in older days. As a kid he'd never thought about destiny or faith much, and he still didn't accept a deity of any kind, but who else could he thank for the wonderful life he had been handed?

They celebrated their two year anniversary by buying ice-cream down by the waterfront. Despite the fact that the concrete- and mosaic pier only fronted a big desert landscape, framed by a few empty warehouses and not mountains, the people of their burg seemed to enjoy it anyway. Some vendors had put up ice-cream and licorice stands, and a couple of others sold balloons and portraits. There was even an amateur fire-eater, amateur in the sense that he didn't seem affected by the fire at all, and quite happy to eat it.

The couple sat down on one of the benches at the edge of the pier. They watched some people and their children play by the old submarine. It had only appeared there and the children seemed fine playing by it, so Carlos didn't pay much attention until one of the kids got a bit close to the hatch and touched the handle. With a confused yelp the little kid ran back to his parent, who loudly comforted and scolded him at the same time. The kid seemed fine and not hurt, and soon ran around like nothing happened. 

Carlos sighed and wondered about what Cecil would have done in that situation. The radio host would probably have scooped the child up in his long lean arms and kissed its face until it giggled and begged to be released. 

Carlos leaned back so his neck rested against Cecil's shoulder. He'd never had a family, always moving to the next foster family after another. Sure, his last one had been great but he had found them when he was twelve and there was only so much they could do at that point. Carlos thought about them now, how they made him realize that he loved biology and that he actually could reach his dreams. He should call them, if only to let them know he were alright. He might even tell his mom about Cecil. His father too, he decided.

Cecil seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as he kissed Carlos' temple.

“They always say that the only real concern for parents is to raise their kids better than they were raised themselves,” he announced, “so raising young can't be that hard for either of us.”

“Yeah, I was thinking something like that too,” Carlos said with a little smile. 

“Maybe we could adopt?” he mused further. “Is there an orphanage in Night Vale?”

Cecil shuddered a bit despite the sun still glaring down at them. 

“Trust me, what I call orphanage differs a lot from what you described to me. The Night Vale Home for Lost Children is... not a nice place. I sent a few interns there once to dig up a story and they returned quite, um, transformed from what they'd seen.”

Carlos nodded, a little sad. But Cecil were the one with the inside info and he hadn't been wrong before. 

“I can get the paperwork started,” Cecil said in a comforting tone. “If something comes up. Should take a year or two anyways. Maybe we could start with a cat or something?” 

“Sure,” Carlos said, trying to sound unaffected, although he couldn't completely hide his disappointment. 

Cecil nuzzled against his neck.

“Sorry,” he said in a apologetic voice. "I just don't see any other option."

“It's okay, it's not your fault,” Carlos shrugged and grabbed a tight hold around Cecil's hand. 

They kept on watching the children as the sun set with a loud noise in the distance.

**

The phone buzzed for an unusually long time, Carlos thought as he called his mother in San Francisco. When it finally picked up it was his younger brother Derek who answered. 

“Yo bro,” Derek called, a smile in his voice. Carlos could almost see him standing there in the kitchen, a basketball under his arm and his white cap turned backwards. Their love for the game was the only thing they had in common, Derek had started working at their uncle's automobile shop as soon as he finished high school.

“Hey, Dee,” Carlos called back, “um, how are you?”

“Same old, same old,” his brother said and yelled, “it's Carlos!” around the house. 

Their mother picked up another phone a second later, a high scream that Carlos could barely make out as “My heart, my heart!”.

Carlos felt guilty for not calling sooner. His brother said, “gotta go!” and handed the phone over to their dad.

“How are ya, son?” his dad asked in his hoarse voice.

“I'm fine, everything is fine,” Carlos hurried to say, “sorry for not calling but you know me, I lost track of time.”

“How's things there?” his mum asked. “Do you eat properly? Have you found any friends?”

Carlos thought about the Lab.

“Well, I'm actually a supervisor of sorts,” he said, knowing they would be happy to hear he was promoted. "It's a small town but everyone seems to like me and what I discover.”

“That's great, son!” his father and mother chimed in high happy voices. 

Cecil stuck his head out from the kitchen and stared at him over a bowl of whipped cream he made for dessert.

“I can hear them from all the way in here,” he whispered with a smile.

“Who is that, dear? Are you at a colleague's house?” his mother asked.

Carlos took a deep breath. Worst case scenario they would disown him, say that he wasn't his son, which technically was true. Somehow, he didn't think they would. 

“Mum, dad... Me and Cecil are more than friends. And he is a guy. So, um, I'm gay.”

The other line went quiet for a second, as Cecil's eyes got impossibly big and he put a hand over his mouth. Carlos couldn't breathe in that long silence.

“Well, finally!” his dad said, a tone of relief in his voice.

“What?” Carlos stammered.

“We already knew dear,” his mom confessed, “or rather I thought you were asexual. He must be truly special!”

“How do you even know what asexual means?” Carlos wheezed, too chocked to speak.

“Well, we read up on it," Carlos father said, "we wanted to know what to do, and all of the folders and seminars said you had to figure this stuff out on your own and tell us when you were ready."

"So we did.”

"This is unbelievable," Carlos thought, but a big grin spread on his face as he realized that they are going to be accepting of him, of Cecil, of this whole new thing. At least, he mused, to some extent.

“Thank you for that, for, um, letting me figure things out,” he smiled into the phone.

“Sure, honey. Of course. We love you.”

Cecil had tears in his eyes now and Carlos too, he supposed.

“I love you too,” he whispered as he looked at Cecil.

They were quiet again for a second.

“Can we talk to him?” his mother asked, and Carlos just handed the phone over to Cecil, who gave Carlos the bowl and grabbed the phone carefully, like it was a sharp object.

“Hello” he said, carefully, deep in that way that made Carlos' guts churn. "Mrs Garcia?"

“Please, call me Agnes,” he heard his mother chuckle.

There was this weird discrepancy for a little while when Carlos parents jokingly asked Cecil what his intentions were with their son and Cecil, a serious expression in his face, answered that he loved Carlos very much and that he would protect him from all possible evil. They were taken aback but quite happy with that answer. They talked for another twenty minutes and the next thing Carlos knew, his parents were inviting Cecil to come along the next time Carlos came home. Cecil gracefully accepted, said his goodbyes, Carlos talked a bit more, hung up and just stared at Cecil in bewilderment. 

"That went incredibly well!" he said with a relieved look on his face. 

“You have very nice parents”, Cecil said with a wide grin and gave Carlos a kiss on the nose.

“Yeah,” Carlos grinned, “I guess I'm very lucky.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, this is terapeutic isn't it?
> 
> Remember to kudos and comment (if you want to).
> 
> Thanks!


End file.
